204 THE amateue's greenhouse 



wards, and potting tlie rooted pieces in small pots in compost 

 consisting chiefly of silver sand. 



Xanthoerh^. — This is the " grass tree " of the Australian 

 bush. They are decidedly ornamental and very peculiar. 

 G-row them in equal parts peat, loam, and bricks brolien to the 

 size of walnuts and the sharpest siliceous grit obtainable ; give 

 abundance of water in summer and very little indeed all the 

 winter. 



TuccA. — The well known Adam's Needle represents one of 

 the most interesting groups of plants in our gardens, and one 

 which has peculiar claims on the attention of the amateur who 

 can take interest in plants of noble forms while awaiting 

 patiently for their full development. It is no small recom- 

 mendation of the yuccas that there is very little to be said 

 about their cultivation, for the fact is, it is difficult to kill them 

 and it is a delightfully easy matter to grow them properly. 

 They must have light always, and our sunshine is never too 

 strong for them even in the height of summer, when they should 

 be out of doors. In potting them take particular care to 

 drain the pots well, and let the compost consist of about equal 

 parts of the best turfy loam obtainable, bricks broken to the 

 size of walnuts, and the drift from a gravel road, or lacking 

 that, the finest siftings from the sweepings of gravel walks. 

 Give plenty of water in summer but very little all the winter, 

 taking care that they do not go quite dry. They are all nearly 

 hardy and therefore need but little fire heat. Por a beginner 

 the best will be Y. aloifolia, of which there are two forms, the 

 green and the variegated ; Y. concava, Y. jilamentosa var, and 

 Y. recurva. The last is a hardy plant, but good enough for a 

 place in any conservatory. 



Yuccas vary considerably in their frequency of flowering. 

 The cheap and very hardy Y. flaccida and Y. gloriosa bloom 

 early in life and often ; while Y. aloifolia, Y. recurva, and Y. 

 flicata are in no haste to flower. Cultivators do not usually 

 repine when they see the stately flower stems rising, because 

 when the flowering of the plant is over, it loses its single stem 

 and unity of character, and throws up a number of crowns. 

 These new growths afford ready means of multiplying the 

 species if removed, and if allowed to continue as parts of the 

 old stock, will in time add to its dignity and massiveness. 

 Therefore the flowering need not be all loss, and as for the 

 flowers themselves, so beautiful are they that, in one respect 

 at least, it is all gain. 



